ST. LOUIS–Marco Scutaro got ooohs and yelps from his teammates with his final swing of a surprise batting practice session, a line-drive home run to left field.

He did the typical Scutaro in response: He put his head down and walked out of the batting cage quietly. That’s why his teammates like this guy so much, by the way. And they do.

Then Scutaro went into the clubhouse for more treatment on his left hip and knee, and waded through a throng of reporters there to talk to him and only him, which was of some amusement for his teammates, too.

Of course everybody wanted to hear how he was doing a day after getting pummeled by Matt Holliday in Game 2… and after Scutaro got in some light running in the outfield and the aforementioned BP rounds during the Giants’ workout at Busch Stadium.

Scutaro said he feels pretty good, considering the crash, said he expects to play in Game 3 tomorrow.

Scutaro also joked that Holliday tried to “kick my ass” and that if Holliday tries to talk to him tomorrow, Scutaro will “try to kick his ass.”

There was a smile on Scutaro’s face each time he said something like that, but obviously some amount of tension, too, which is certainly fair for Scutaro to feel.

What does he want his pitchers do to the Cardinals in retaliation? ” I want them to throw a nine-inning shutout and we win.”

—–MARCO SCUTARO gaggle transcript/

-Q: Do you think you’re going to play tomorrow?

-SCUTARO: Yeah, I think so. Feels much better… I think I’ll be there tomorrow.

-Q: How did it feel out there today? Was there soreness?

-SCUTARO: A little bit, yeah, my hips a little bit and my knee.

-Q: Where are you affected the most?

-SCUTARO: Probably running, really more when I move side to side… running the bases, things like that.

-Q: Can you describe what happened in the play?

-SCUTARO: First of all, I was just trying to make sure of one out. Slow roller and all of a sudden I just saw this train come and pretty much… I didn’t have time to pretty much do anything. Since I caught the ball he was pretty much up on me.

-SCUTARO: Uhh… after I saw the replay… you know… that guy always plays hard. I think he just kind of slid a little bit late. But I guess he wasn’t trying to do that. He was coming full speed.

But to be honest, I’m just happy that nothing real bad happened…

-Q: What have the doctors told you the injury is?

-SCUTARO: I sprained some muscles in my hips and my knee probably. Actually I didn’t feel anything yesterday in my knee, pretty much everything in my hip. But today I feel something in my knee…

-Q: If Holliday wants to talk to you before the game…

-SCUTARO: I’d kick his ass. (Laughs.)

-Q: Would you talk to him?

-SCUTARO: Yeah, I mean, like I said, he’s a great guy. I don’t think he was trying to hurt me. He was just trying to play a little hard. Just slid a little late, that’s all.

[EDIT]

-Q: Did the pain get worse last night?

-SCUTARO: It did get worse right before I told the trainer that… it was actually when I think Schumaker was hitting, I started feeling different stuff… my leg was feeling numb… if he had hit a ground ball a little to my side, I couldn’t have make the play…

-Q: How big was it to get that hit after getting clobbered?

-SCUTARO: Just focused on trying to get a good pitch to hit and coming through.

-Q: Bochy said he thought the slide was illegal. Do you agree?

-SCUTARO: Umm, I don’t know too much about sliding rules. What I think, it was a little late, like I said before. As a second baseman, pretty much the only protection you have is your bag. And I saw the replay, he slid pretty much after the bag…

I don’t think it was intentional to hurt me. I think he was just trying to break up the double play.

[EDIT]

-Q: How often does it happen–a guy sliding that late?

-SCUTARO: I don’t know, I don’t think you can slide farther than that or probably you’ll be at shortstop.

[EDIT]

-Q: Will there be retaliation by your teammates?

-SCUTARO: Ask them, I don’t know. I just work here.

-Q: Do you want your pitchers to do something for you in the next game?

-SCUTARO: I want them to throw a nine-inning shutout and we win.

-Q: Bochy said you wouldn’t work out today, did you talk your way out there?

-SCUTARO: Just wanted to be where I was at, just move around a little bit, see what’s going on.

-Q: Hit some home runs in BP, did that help?

-SCUTARO: No, they don’t count.

-Q: Surprised you feel this good today?

-SCUTARO: It’s normally the next day when you feel the most. But like I said earlier, I’m just lucky nothing bad happened and I’ve still got my leg there.

-Q: Does it tell you something about Holliday that he was checking in and calling you last night?

-SCUTARO: Yeah, that was kind of nice to hear from him after he tried to kick my ass. (Laughs.)